08/22/2026
This Week at Doe Run
August 21, 2026
Good morning, Doe Run Family!
Grace is preparing to head back to college this weekend—for her senior year! This is incredible to me on several fronts. First of all, how has the summer come to a close already? It seems like it just began! And how is Grace a senior already? College, too, seems like it just began!
All around us, we see evidence of a new school year beginning, and for many, it has already begun. As much as I love the freshness and newness of a new school and program year, I have to admit that I also mourn the end of summer a little bit.
The summer season feels like a microcosm of the whole year to me. In January, we make New Year’s resolutions—things we hope to accomplish in the year ahead. And at the beginning of summer, we make our summer bucket lists: all the things we want to do while the weather is warm and we can spend more time outside.
Sometimes, though, the end of summer leaves me feeling a little melancholy. I look back at my bucket list and realize that I didn’t get to everything I had hoped to do. And if I’m honest, I can feel a little disappointed in myself.
Friends, if you find yourself in a similar place, I encourage you to take heart. In the same way that experts tell us New Year’s resolutions can be unrealistic and set us up for disappointment, I think the same can be true of our summer bucket lists. Instead of looking back and focusing on what we didn’t accomplish, perhaps we should look back and celebrate what we did.
Celebrate the joy we experienced. The friendships we made or strengthened. The rest we found. The new experiences we enjoyed. The ordinary moments that turned out to be meaningful. Those are the things worth carrying with us into the next season.
And now, we have a new season ahead of us here at Doe Run—a new program year, the beginning of choir season, and the return of education, fellowship, and other opportunities to gather and grow together.
We aren’t making resolutions for the fall, but perhaps we can renew our commitment to something even more important: doing our best to grow God’s Kingdom, both here at Doe Run and out in the world around us. That means serving those in need, deepening our own faith, and sharing God’s love with others.
So, as summer winds down, let’s give thanks for all that it has been—and look ahead with excitement and hope for all that is yet to come.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Blessings on your day!
Pastor Amy
